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Chocolate Banana Bread has been an old favorite, and needs no preamble or praise. The pairing of chocolate and bananas is one of the most reliable ones where baking is concerned, and though bananas were traditionally baked with walnuts or pecans for the classic banana-nut loaf, this new combination has indeed found a place in the hearts and minds of foodies. Chocolate can get really overpowering, especially in baked desserts; but this Chocolate-Banana Bread recipe still focusses on the distinct flavor of ripe bananas, while chocolate, nuts and dried cranberries make it both festive as well as delicious! Every chef will certainly have their signature banana bread recipe, but there's always room to improve it, right?! So here I share my recipe with you - a classic recipe adapted to make it eggless and also to suit my tastebuds!Banana Bread is pretty similar to a Banana Cake, except for its shape; while one is baked in a loaf pan, the other uses a non-loaf pan!:) But this, to me, is not really a valid difference! I chose to bake my chocolate-banana bread cum cake in a rectangular pan rather than a standard loaf one, and believe me, it still tasted as great as ever! Serve this with a cup of tea or coffee for a bread-like feeling; drizzle some chocolate syrup and whip cream on the top and it transforms into a decadent dessert. So now you have not one, but two wonderful reasons to put those 4-day old ripe aged and yellow-skinned bananas to good use! Also, a tip from Stephanie's chocolate-banana bread recipe about sprinkling some brown sugar on the top to get the crusty golden texture while it bakes sounds interesting! This beauty is on its way to the Banana-Bread Bakeoff hosted by Not Quite Nigella!

Eggless recipe - A banana bread or cake is the most appropriate type of recipe to make into an eggless version. Mashed bananas impart the same texture and softness to the cake that egg yolks would; you might have to compromise just a tiny bit on the fluffy part, but if you use self-raising flour, even that difference would melt away! So for an eggless version, omit the eggs, use self-raising flour instead of regular one, add 1 more banana, and 1/2 tsp more of baking soda.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well till it becomes light and fluffy.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and nutmeg. In another bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cranberries, poppy seeds and walnuts.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed sugar mixture and stir until combined. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour (depending on oven and pan size), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (Do the toothpick test after 45 mins, then bake a little longer if needed).

Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan, then use a buttered knife to cut into slices.

This delicious Chocolate Banana Bread is great with your morning tea. The cranberries and poppy seeds add a nice flavor as well as a crunch to the loaf, at the same time balancing the sweetness of bananas. As bananas tend to give out a distinct smell as they get old, it is best to consume this bread within 2-3 days while keeping it refrigerated.

40 comments
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Your timing of this recipe could not have been better. I have a bunch of leftover cranberries from a meatloaf I made last night and a big craving for banana chip muffins. I also have the good fortune to actually have a few hours to myself on Friday night (a rare luxury these days) so I want to do some baking. This is better than muffins. I love chocolate and banana together so much and I hope I can hold out a day to make this.

Mansi, you have an uncanny ability to read my thoughts!:) I just thought about using my old bananas and bake something with it, and here you are with this simple recipe and a gorgeous pic that makes my mouth water!!:) I'll be baking this today girl..thanks for sharing!

dear mansii really loved this chocolate banana bread. your way of writing about this recipe simply appleaed in a very subtle and beautiful way ! was and am little busy so not very frequent on browsing around but thanks for passing by blog and let me please know your birthday !

looks absolutely delicious - I have a chocolate banana bread recipe I love but I like your little suggestions at the end of cranberries, nutmeg and poppyseeds! I had wondered about making mine for the banana bread bake off being held by Not Quite Nigella but not sure if I will get to it in time - maybe you should check it out!

Just stopping in to let you know I made this last night. It was awesome. Even Sir Pickypants loved it and he doesn't like bananas. The cranberries added a very interesting flavor dimension. The texture was lovely as well. I sometimes have trouble finding a banana bread with a good texture.

One little flaw in the recipe though. You didn't say when to add the cocoa. I just did the obvious thing though and added it to the rest of the dry ingredients. I sifted it in with the flour.

sdc- thanks for trying it out, and I'm really glad your friday night bake turned out great!:) and thanks for adding the cocoa part...I've said to add all the dry ingredients together, but I'll make it more specific:)

thanks for deligently trying out so many of my recipes and coming back to endorse them!:) wish I could parcel you some free samples:)

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